This has been getting a good amount of Oscar hype lately, and having just returned from seeing it I can see why. Excellent movie!
The cast is uniformly superb (well, for the most part...). David Oyetokunbo is potent as King, although I must admit he'd previously flow under my radar. Checking IMDB I see he was the principal of Murph's school in
Interstellar but it was a bit part and I don't remember him. Carmen Ejogo is terrific as his wife Coretta. Apropos of nothing I was surprised at how many of them were British! Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth and Tom Wilkinson were all quite convincing as Yanks (well, Roth seemed to struggle with the southern accent a bit). The only disappointment to me was Oprah Winfree. She isn't a very good actress and her presence to me was jolting reminder that I was watching a movie. She's perhaps a bit too famous for a historical biopic.
The cinematography is great and the soundtrack is very effective. The strength of the film though lies in the power and humanity of the characters. The film crafts a very believable collection of characters that drives the story.
Much has been made of the "hatchet job" supposedly done on President Lyndon B. Johnson. But overall I think he came across pretty well in the film. Historically I think he was more of an activist than he's portrayed here. But the LBJ of the film does exude a pragmatic humanity and rises to the occasion in the end.
It's tough to craft a biopic of people that are near contemporary, I suppose. Especially a flawed character that is so revered. The film does avoid hero worship and never becomes a hagiography, even though it could probably get away with it. King is shown as a great man with feet of clay. He has some doubts, and his famed infidelities to his wife are touched upon but not deeply.
I think Oyetokunbo won a Golden Globe last night, and an Oscar wouldn't surprise me. The buzz on
Selma was positive but my elevated expectations were met. Recommended!
